Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

As COVID-19 spreads, Millennial bashing and other blaming is unhelpful and un-Christlike

OpinionRebekah Gordon  |  March 16, 2020

Rebekah GordonAmid known and unknown repercussions of COVID-19, faith communities, like all Americans, are considering what to do and what not to do. Here’s something we must resist doing or stop doing: joining the chorus of critics who are painting Millennials with a broad brush in the search for scapegoats.

A prominent argument published in news reports and repeated on social media platforms is that young Americans are ignoring the proper precautions to slow the spread of the virus and are actively endangering others in their carelessness. That may be the case, but much of the criticism lacks perspective and compassion. The reality is that many of the popular narratives emerging in a time of tremendous anxiety are steeped in cultural and economic privilege from all sides.

“The way COVID-19 is affecting you is not the only thing that matters because it’s not just about you.”

Various news media outlets have noted a spike in Millennial travel as airlines, cruise companies and resorts have slashed prices in response to COVID-19. Some young people are viewing these price drops as a chance to travel on a discount, racking up trips and vacations.

This adventurous mindset of American Millennials is troubling for the rest of the world. While healthy young people who contract the virus have a low risk of dying from the illness, their increased mobility can contribute to spreading the virus to older persons, people living with pre-existing conditions and others who fall in high-risk categories.

A friend of mine who lives with Lupus, an autoimmune disorder, is among those who have grown weary of the cavalier attitude of many young people towards the virus. As someone constantly at great risk of falling ill, she wishes her peers would be willing to inconvenience themselves in order to help her, and others like her, to avoid the virus. Since she has had to be extremely diligent about limiting her exposure to germs every day since her diagnosis, it seems the least the rest of us could do is to wash our hands regularly.

A recent Newsweek article offered a sensible suggestion for young people to cut back on all nonessential travel. It urged Millennials to think about others (which we sometimes do need to be reminded of), because it’s not just about us. The writer noted, “It’s the civic and moral duty of every person, everywhere, to take part in the global effort to reduce this threat to humanity. To postpone any movement or travel that are not vitally essential, and to spread the disease as little as possible.”

While young people may feel invincible, they risk putting others in danger. “Odds are,” the article continued, “you might catch coronavirus and might not even get symptoms. Great. Good for you. Very bad for everyone else, from your own grandparents to the random older person who got on the subway train a stop or two after you got off.”

As young adult Christians who are making decisions about how we will live and where we will go over the coming weeks or months, we should factor in more than ourselves. We should factor in our grandparents and other family members, our congregations, our communities and our at-risk friends. Young adults, we need to check our age and health privilege and think about the people – especially the most marginalized and vulnerable people in our society – we could be putting at risk. At the very least, we need to accept minor disruptions and inconveniences by cutting back on nonessential activities, taking extra hygiene precautions, practicing reasonable self-distancing and following other recommended protocols.

On the flip side, I have been frustrated with a glaring lack of empathy in some of the public discourse. I have a young friend who was scheduled to go to a conference with a few older colleagues two weeks ago. His boss told his colleagues to stay home but urged him to still attend the conference since he was young and healthy. A few days after I heard that story, I overheard a conversation in a coffee shop. A couple of bus drivers were worried about the virus and the decline in travelers. If their shifts were reduced, they might not be able to pay their rent. And being laid off, even temporarily, could be catastrophic.

“I have been frustrated with a glaring lack of empathy in some of the public discourse.”

Much of the public commentary on the coronavirus has come from medical professionals, public health and government officials, politicians and commentators on television and radio. It is easy for white collar professionals who have telecommuting options, writers who work from home or physicians and others who live well above the poverty line to call out people for being selfish. Many seem to have little empathy for those who cannot work from home, cannot afford to miss a single paycheck or have no viable childcare options. Why can’t “those people” stop taking risks, stop going to work or stop going into public spaces?

Here’s a newsflash, folks. Some of us don’t have a choice. People under a certain age or under a certain socioeconomic line have less autonomy over their own lives and choices. Our decisions are ruled by our bosses, our ability to get our next paycheck, and the very real fear that we might not be able to pay the next month’s rent.

Most of my friends, many from privileged, middle-class families, are paying off an overwhelming amount of student loans. Others are saving up to have children or own a home. Others cannot even fathom doing either of those things within the next decade. I’m among young ministers employed by congregations that may have to make drastic decisions in the face of declining financial support. Like other young professionals, we have virtually no safety net. And, again, we are among the privileged.

As Christians – young, old and somewhere in between – we should all be responding to this pandemic with the compassion of Christ. Millennials, let’s not be reckless at the potential expense of others who are God’s beloved children. Older Christians, please don’t assume that young people are being selfish and uncaring before you understand their circumstances. For all of us, trying to assign blame is unhelpful and un-Christlike.

The way COVID-19 is affecting you is not the only thing that matters because it’s not just about you. When we live in Christian community, we pray, we love, we empathize. We go beyond inconveniencing ourselves. We bear one another’s burdens and make sacrifices for the sake of others.

Because we know that’s what Jesus would do.

EDITOR’S NOTE: BNG is committed to providing timely and helpful news and commentary about ways Christians and churches are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Look for the hashtag #intimeslikethese. You can also use this form to help us identify compelling stories of faith and ministry in these challenging times.

Related commentary:

John Jay Alvaro | An urgent appeal to my fellow ministers and other religious leaders: Suspend all public gatherings NOW

Cody Sanders | Church and the coronavirus: practicing compassion and care even as we take precautions

Related news:

Coronavirus ripples turn to waves for faith-based groups

For missionaries, coronavirus creates ‘an interesting moment in plagues and pestilence’

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Tags:COVID-19empathy#intimesliketheseMillennialspandemicCompassionCoronavirus
More by
Rebekah Gordon
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • The state murder of Tyre Nichols

      Opinion

    • Armie Hammer links his sexual excesses as an adult to his abuse by a youth pastor when he was 13

      News

    • Three images to remember Tyre Nichols

      Opinion

    • U.N. World Harmony Week is only seven days but must last all year, speakers say

      News


    Curated

    • Salman Rushdie Says He’s Grateful, ‘Can’t Regret’ His Life After Stabbing

      Salman Rushdie Says He’s Grateful, ‘Can’t Regret’ His Life After Stabbing

    • Why Chinese Immigrant Pastors Avoid Preaching on the News

      Why Chinese Immigrant Pastors Avoid Preaching on the News

    • Joe Rogan: ‘The idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous’

      Joe Rogan: ‘The idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous’

    • California senator announces bill to protect religious practices of incarcerated individuals

      California senator announces bill to protect religious practices of incarcerated individuals

    Read Next:

    PC(USA) committee lambasted for choosing a ‘text of terror’ for ordination exam

    NewsMark Wingfield

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • Spurred on by conservatives’ fears, Tennessee turns down federal funds to fight HIV/AIDS

      AnalysisKristen Thomason

    • Tom Brady may be the NFL’s “GOAT,” but he’s a lousy theologian

      OpinionMarv Knox

    • “What’s the one book I should read on anti-racism?’

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Study finds racial and ethnic identity plays a role in mental health of Gen Z

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • How a medical emergency during worship showed love in action

      OpinionZach W. Lambert

    • U.N. World Harmony Week is only seven days but must last all year, speakers say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • The historical significance of ETBU acquiring B.H. Carroll Institute

      AnalysisMark Wingfield

    • Three images to remember Tyre Nichols

      OpinionJulia Goldie Day

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • The state murder of Tyre Nichols

      OpinionLisa Sharon Harper and David Gushee

    • Armie Hammer links his sexual excesses as an adult to his abuse by a youth pastor when he was 13

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • ‘I remember repeating to myself: “I have the right to be here.”’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Lyell asks Alabama court to dismiss Sills lawsuit for lack of jurisdiction

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • PC(USA) committee lambasted for choosing a ‘text of terror’ for ordination exam

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • BCMD executive director, also a NAMB vice president, resigns due to ‘moral failure’

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • Title 42, congregations and the sojourner

      OpinionSean Powell

    • SBC Executive Committee member once again criticized for sexually crude social media posts

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • The truth about police brutality

      OpinionJames Ellis III

    • In Ukraine: ‘We cannot just preach like we did before the war’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • TikTok trends and three questions you and your church should ask this year about rest

      AnalysisLaura Ellis

    • Two churches ‘under inquiry’ by SBC Credentials Committee for platforming Johnny Hunt

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Biblical orthodoxy 2023: Sign or get ‘churched’

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Zimbabwean pastors flee ministry to join more lucrative care work in the UK

      NewsRay Mwareya

    • Jesus and Buddha are talking with me about loving and blessing my enemies

      OpinionH. Stephen Shoemaker

    • Biden administration urged to remove Cuba from list of state sponsors of terrorism

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Study finds racial and ethnic identity plays a role in mental health of Gen Z

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • U.N. World Harmony Week is only seven days but must last all year, speakers say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Armie Hammer links his sexual excesses as an adult to his abuse by a youth pastor when he was 13

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • ‘I remember repeating to myself: “I have the right to be here.”’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Lyell asks Alabama court to dismiss Sills lawsuit for lack of jurisdiction

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • PC(USA) committee lambasted for choosing a ‘text of terror’ for ordination exam

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • BCMD executive director, also a NAMB vice president, resigns due to ‘moral failure’

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • SBC Executive Committee member once again criticized for sexually crude social media posts

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • In Ukraine: ‘We cannot just preach like we did before the war’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Two churches ‘under inquiry’ by SBC Credentials Committee for platforming Johnny Hunt

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Zimbabwean pastors flee ministry to join more lucrative care work in the UK

      NewsRay Mwareya

    • Biden administration urged to remove Cuba from list of state sponsors of terrorism

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Transitions for the week of 2-3-23

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • ‘Can you imagine looting the religious artifacts that help strengthen the Christian faith from the Vatican?’

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Panelists discuss how the Hamline University controversy could have been handled better in a diverse culture

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Pope Francis arrives in Africa on a two-nation tour seeking peace amid decades of conflict

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Museum of the Bible to host Wednesday morning event to pray for God’s judgment on America, and breakfast is not included

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • National Prayer Breakfast gets new sponsorship but still looks like government-sponsored religion, BJC leaders say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Zimbabwe Theological Seminary names new principal

      NewsBNG staff

    • What happens when church and state merge? Look to Nazi Germany for answers

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Southwestern Seminary student arrested for alleged ‘felony sexual assault’

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Trial date set for Patterson and Southwestern versus Jane Roe

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Faith groups must fight online hate, Interfaith Alliance urges

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Tom Brady may be the NFL’s “GOAT,” but he’s a lousy theologian

      OpinionMarv Knox

    • “What’s the one book I should read on anti-racism?’

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • How a medical emergency during worship showed love in action

      OpinionZach W. Lambert

    • Three images to remember Tyre Nichols

      OpinionJulia Goldie Day

    • The state murder of Tyre Nichols

      OpinionLisa Sharon Harper and David Gushee

    • Title 42, congregations and the sojourner

      OpinionSean Powell

    • The truth about police brutality

      OpinionJames Ellis III

    • Biblical orthodoxy 2023: Sign or get ‘churched’

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Jesus and Buddha are talking with me about loving and blessing my enemies

      OpinionH. Stephen Shoemaker

    • Letter to the Editor: Kudos all around for Baptist News Global

      OpinionLetters to the Editor

    • Letter to the Editor: Jesus expects us to follow him; Trump expects us to follow him

      OpinionLetters to the Editor

    • Humor and hope mark the dark journey taken by a creative and brave photojournalist

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • One year of sobriety

      OpinionGlen Schmucker

    • Men’s ministry needs more than, eggs, bacon and football

      OpinionMaina Mwaura

    • The church must show the world a more excellent way of nonviolence

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Church historian Richard Hughes reflects on a lifetime of ‘Troublesome Questions’

      OpinionTed Parks

    • What churches could learn from the Pub Choir phenomenon

      OpinionMike Frost

    • Living into lament: A white response to the killing of Tyre Nichols by police

      OpinionRobert P. Jones

    • Of church cemeteries, pulpit committees, crafts and sweet potato casserole

      OpinionChris Ayers

    • Of Margie, mountains and ‘El Shaddai’

      OpinionBert Montgomery

    • What I learned from meeting Martin Luther King in Louisville and Josie in Hopkinsville

      OpinionBill Thurman

    • On the baptism of our firstborn

      OpinionEmily Hull McGee

    • Has virtual worship actually harmed Christianity?

      OpinionSara Robb-Scott

    • ‘What can we forgive?’: An interview with Matthew Ichihashi Potts on Forgiveness

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • My father’s faith

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • Salman Rushdie Says He’s Grateful, ‘Can’t Regret’ His Life After Stabbing

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Why Chinese Immigrant Pastors Avoid Preaching on the News

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Joe Rogan: ‘The idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • California senator announces bill to protect religious practices of incarcerated individuals

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Via jokes, ChatGPT chooses which religious traditions and figures deserve respect — and therefore what counts as ‘religion’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A brief history of the Black church’s diversity, and its vital role in American political history

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • “Left Behind: Rise Of The Antichrist” Is The Latest Installment In The Apocalyptic Thriller Franchise. It’s Nothing More Than Evangelical Make-Believe

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Antisemitic flyers could spur action on proposed Georgia law

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A brief history of the Black church’s diversity, and its vital role in American political history

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • New effort surveys Sikh students about bullying and school climate in the US

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Civil rights legislation sparked powerful backlash that’s still shaping American politics

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Church of England submits blessings for same-sex couples to fierce debate in Synod

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • GOP Rep. Who Spoke At Pro-Hitler Event Goes After Ilhan Omar Because Of ‘Anti-Semitism’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Psychedelic churches in US pushing boundaries of religion

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Prominent Jewish leaders add to drumbeat of criticism of Israel’s new government

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • At Tyre Nichols’ funeral, VP Harris and Sharpton among those praying and promising reform

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Marvin Olasky Still Wants to Make Journalism Biblically Objective

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Progressive National Baptists to deploy $1 million grant to boost ‘compelling preaching’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Church of England sheds light on ‘shameful’ slave trade ties

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Chinese Christians remain in Thailand fearing deportation

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Black police officers aren’t colorblind – they’re infected by the same anti-Black bias as American society and police in general

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Ohio is investigating a Nazi homeschooling network that teaches children to love Hitler

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Omar says some Republicans don’t want a Muslim in Congress: ‘These people are OK with Islamophobia’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Tyre Nichols police beating video prompts faith leaders to react with grief, goals

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How Egyptian police hunt LGBT people on dating apps

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2023 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS